I just put a tiny bit of water in the soap bottle, shake it around to loosen the soap in the bottle and use that as the final shampoo or hand wash for that bottle. No transfer mess b/c I'm not that talented. My kids do the same with chocolate syrup (a rare treat since it is mostly sugar). Final use pour in a little milk over the sink, put the lid back on the chocolate (make sure it is closed) and shake it. Squeeze into a glass and add milk to taste.

We use liquid handwash in the bathroom and get cheap refills from Aldi. Unfortunately the top of the redesigned refills don't allow you to easily balance it on the top of the soap dispenser to allow all of the dregs to drain into the dispenser.

So I thought I'd be clever and carefully prepped the near-empty refill by lying it on its side for a few days for all the soap to accumulate in a puddle inside the bottle. Then I thought I'd be super clever and tipped it upside down, balancing on the lid. Which meant that pouring it in to the dispenser it went all over the place. Some went in the dispenser, but most of it dripped on the outside and over the freshly-cleaned sink. I then had to spend quite a bit of time wiping up the slippery mess. Ick.

Easy to fix but super annoying, specially since I don't have much energy to spare atm.

Gah. I do this sort of thing all the time, if it makes you feel any better. Like the other night I put my half-drunk glass of tea in the fridge for the next day, and in the morning DH opened the fridge door and it fell out on top of him; unfortunately, he was wearing his suit and nice white shirt on his way out the door for an important meeting, so he had to change, wash the shirt, hope the stains came out (they did), and then rush out the door late (and very pissed off). I've also done things like used a pen to try to squish out the last of the tube of toothpaste and squirted the toothpaste all over the countertop. And, yeah, poured the remaining bath gel all outside the new container because it wasn't balanced appropriately.

I have done this with laundry detergent. The big, cheaper per ounce (sometimes) bottle is too awkward to handle regularly, so I wanted to put it in the smaller bottle. I can't really hold the spigot and the smaller bottle, so I set up the larger bottle to come out the vent...It splurted out, all over the floor and me and goodness knows what else.

We use liquid handwash in the bathroom and get cheap refills from Aldi. Unfortunately the top of the redesigned refills don't allow you to easily balance it on the top of the soap dispenser to allow all of the dregs to drain into the dispenser.

So I thought I'd be clever and carefully prepped the near-empty refill by lying it on its side for a few days for all the soap to accumulate in a puddle inside the bottle. Then I thought I'd be super clever and tipped it upside down, balancing on the lid. Which meant that pouring it in to the dispenser it went all over the place. Some went in the dispenser, but most of it dripped on the outside and over the freshly-cleaned sink. I then had to spend quite a bit of time wiping up the slippery mess. Ick.

Easy to fix but super annoying, specially since I don't have much energy to spare atm.

Gah. I do this sort of thing all the time, if it makes you feel any better. Like the other night I put my half-drunk glass of tea in the fridge for the next day, and in the morning DH opened the fridge door and it fell out on top of him; unfortunately, he was wearing his suit and nice white shirt on his way out the door for an important meeting, so he had to change, wash the shirt, hope the stains came out (they did), and then rush out the door late (and very pissed off). I've also done things like used a pen to try to squish out the last of the tube of toothpaste and squirted the toothpaste all over the countertop. And, yeah, poured the remaining bath gel all outside the new container because it wasn't balanced appropriately.

I think that's called being human. :-)

Toothpaste Pro-tip:Just cut the bottom off the tube.

I am now flashing back to the earlier discussion of ER trips involving sliced-off fingers.

Yeah. I know myself a little too well -- if I can't be trusted to operate a pen correctly, then Laura + metal/thick plastickey tubes + sharp implements is not a good combination. :-)

I have done this with laundry detergent. The big, cheaper per ounce (sometimes) bottle is too awkward to handle regularly, so I wanted to put it in the smaller bottle. I can't really hold the spigot and the smaller bottle, so I set up the larger bottle to come out the vent...It splurted out, all over the floor and me and goodness knows what else.

The trick is to do this, while holding the smaller bottle over the open laundry machine (I have a top loader). Any detergent spills become the soap for the next load. And yes, I unfortunately know exactly what you mean from this description.

Okay, this story wasn't HORRIBLY executed but I was trying so hard to be a bad ass Mustachian I forgot to be a regular person:

The second hand on my bathroom clock was stuck. It was still "trying" to tick, so I googled Wikihow. I disassembled the clock. I took off the hands, even removed and opened the clock movement (and learned what that was). Nothing I could see. I googled another YouTube video and the very helpful watch repair woman said that, first of all, try a new battery because that is often the problem EVEN if the second hand is trying to move.

Yup. Just needed a new battery. But I was able to put the clock back together and it works! So I am both embarrassed AND proud. I usually don't ever try to "DIY" and am trying to grow some MMM stubble here.

I wasn't sure where to post this. I have far more shameful anti-mustachian moments, but sadly most of those were just me being lazy or hedonistic. Lots of ignorance too, though.

MY husband is very into English military history. When a family member was visiting London, I got them to purchase a military-style museum clock I knew he wanted, and bring it back. I gave it to him for Xmas, he loved it. We set it up, and everything works except for the seconds hand. I told him, no worries, I'll take it to a repairer. Nope no no, he was sure he could do it himself (I love my DH, but he is NOT handy. He thinks he is, but he's really not).

So, he takes apart the electrical part, managing to break the backing plate, pulls the clock open, and tiny cogs and springs go everywhere. We try and try (with youtube help) but cant get it back together. I again suggest I'll take it to the shop. No, he says, he will take down our kitchen clock and use those internal mechanisms in this one.

So, off we go, round two. He manages to disassemble clock 2 with only a bent minute arm, but the internal mechanism doesn't fit with the museum clock. Tries to put kitchen clock back together, will not fit back in and work, drops it, manages to land it in the pile of cogs from clock #1, now the ground is covered in teeny metal parts belonging to one of the two now-useless clocks. At this time, I sneak out.

Eventually, I find him on google, ordering two different sixed internal clock mechanisms on Google. They arrive, neither fit, DH manages to damage both. At this point, it is Clocks:4, DH:0. It is now jammed in a box somewhere with our broken kitchen clock and the two google mechanisms.

Hey that's how I got my DIY start as a little kid. I broke far more than I repaired for several years. Its only taken 40 years to get where I'm at now - which is repairing more than a break by a little bit.

Y'all just needed older tinkers around. I knew all about how the mechanical stuff went back together from watching the fail. For some reason, they must have played with the chemistry set when I was around, because that and mixing stuff together in the bathroom certainly allowed me to wreak havoc.

Gah. I do this sort of thing all the time, if it makes you feel any better. Like the other night I put my half-drunk glass of tea in the fridge for the next day, and in the morning DH opened the fridge door and it fell out on top of him; unfortunately, he was wearing his suit and nice white shirt on his way out the door for an important meeting, so he had to change, wash the shirt, hope the stains came out (they did), and then rush out the door late (and very pissed off).

Okay, this story wasn't HORRIBLY executed but I was trying so hard to be a bad ass Mustachian I forgot to be a regular person:

The second hand on my bathroom clock was stuck. It was still "trying" to tick, so I googled Wikihow. I disassembled the clock. I took off the hands, even removed and opened the clock movement (and learned what that was). Nothing I could see. I googled another YouTube video and the very helpful watch repair woman said that, first of all, try a new battery because that is often the problem EVEN if the second hand is trying to move.

Yup. Just needed a new battery. But I was able to put the clock back together and it works! So I am both embarrassed AND proud. I usually don't ever try to "DIY" and am trying to grow some MMM stubble here.

I wasn't sure where to post this. I have far more shameful anti-mustachian moments, but sadly most of those were just me being lazy or hedonistic. Lots of ignorance too, though.

MY husband is very into English military history. When a family member was visiting London, I got them to purchase a military-style museum clock I knew he wanted, and bring it back. I gave it to him for Xmas, he loved it. We set it up, and everything works except for the seconds hand. I told him, no worries, I'll take it to a repairer. Nope no no, he was sure he could do it himself (I love my DH, but he is NOT handy. He thinks he is, but he's really not).

So, he takes apart the electrical part, managing to break the backing plate, pulls the clock open, and tiny cogs and springs go everywhere. We try and try (with youtube help) but cant get it back together. I again suggest I'll take it to the shop. No, he says, he will take down our kitchen clock and use those internal mechanisms in this one.

So, off we go, round two. He manages to disassemble clock 2 with only a bent minute arm, but the internal mechanism doesn't fit with the museum clock. Tries to put kitchen clock back together, will not fit back in and work, drops it, manages to land it in the pile of cogs from clock #1, now the ground is covered in teeny metal parts belonging to one of the two now-useless clocks. At this time, I sneak out.

Eventually, I find him on google, ordering two different sixed internal clock mechanisms on Google. They arrive, neither fit, DH manages to damage both. At this point, it is Clocks:4, DH:0. It is now jammed in a box somewhere with our broken kitchen clock and the two google mechanisms.

Did anyone else read this and recall the part of "Alice in Wonderland" where they're fixing the White Rabbit's watch and putting like butter and jam in it?

I did a home DIY project on the electrical system in my truck back before YouTube was a thing. A door alarm was broken and kept dinging. I figured it was the switch, took it all apart, cut the wire to it and presto, truck fixed! In my excitement I forgot to tape the now exposed wire off. Putting it back together it hit the ground, sparked, and my headlights, radio, inside lights, turn signals, etc were all dead.

Limped it to the repair place and got to explain how I turned a $4 problem into a $400 by being an idiot :(

I did a home DIY project on the electrical system in my truck back before YouTube was a thing. A door alarm was broken and kept dinging. I figured it was the switch, took it all apart, cut the wire to it and presto, truck fixed! In my excitement I forgot to tape the now exposed wire off. Putting it back together it hit the ground, sparked, and my headlights, radio, inside lights, turn signals, etc were all dead.

Limped it to the repair place and got to explain how I turned a $4 problem into a $400 by being an idiot :(

I almost did that once by forgetting to disconnect the battery before poking a screwdriver around near my starter motor. Holy shit, do not do that. Scary stuff. Luckily I didn't die, and nothing bad happened to the car either, but sparks did fly (literally).

I did a home DIY project on the electrical system in my truck back before YouTube was a thing. A door alarm was broken and kept dinging. I figured it was the switch, took it all apart, cut the wire to it and presto, truck fixed! In my excitement I forgot to tape the now exposed wire off. Putting it back together it hit the ground, sparked, and my headlights, radio, inside lights, turn signals, etc were all dead.

Limped it to the repair place and got to explain how I turned a $4 problem into a $400 by being an idiot :(

I almost did that once by forgetting to disconnect the battery before poking a screwdriver around near my starter motor. Holy shit, do not do that. Scary stuff. Luckily I didn't die, and nothing bad happened to the car either, but sparks did fly (literally).

I did something similar using my screwdriver to remove a done bulb. Luckily it was just a 25 cent fuse. Why wasnít the door wire fused???

If we make stews or soups, we often make extra to freeze for lunches or dinners later on.

Tonight I had a leftover pumpkin soup that I found in the freezer and was looking forward to it because pumpkin soup usually freezes pretty well.

Unfortunately it was pretty gross which is an achievement for pumpkin soup. The texture had also gone very strange, a bit claggy/gluey. Bleah. (I must have done something a bit creative with the soup when I first made it)

I got through as much as I could by judicious use of stock powder to mask the worst of the flavour but I just couldn't do the last bowlful without retching. Unfortunately my response to food I don't like isn't just 'I don't like that food' - I retch and gag and it can put me off eating that particular food for a while. So I mixed it with some water and poured it on the compost.

Unfortunately it was pretty gross which is an achievement for pumpkin soup. The texture had also gone very strange, a bit claggy/gluey. Bleah. (I must have done something a bit creative with the soup when I first made it)

I got through as much as I could by judicious use of stock powder to mask the worst of the flavour but I just couldn't do the last bowlful without retching.

LOL - no thought of throwing it out immediately. Nope, it's food, it's still "good". This thread is so enlightening because one can see oneself in many of the posts.

If we make stews or soups, we often make extra to freeze for lunches or dinners later on.

Tonight I had a leftover pumpkin soup that I found in the freezer and was looking forward to it because pumpkin soup usually freezes pretty well.

Unfortunately it was pretty gross which is an achievement for pumpkin soup. The texture had also gone very strange, a bit claggy/gluey. Bleah. (I must have done something a bit creative with the soup when I first made it)

I got through as much as I could by judicious use of stock powder to mask the worst of the flavour but I just couldn't do the last bowlful without retching. Unfortunately my response to food I don't like isn't just 'I don't like that food' - I retch and gag and it can put me off eating that particular food for a while. So I mixed it with some water and poured it on the compost.

:(

The last lot of pumpkin soup I froze separated into water and pumpkin pulp, which was a horrible new accomplishment.

Unfortunately it was pretty gross which is an achievement for pumpkin soup. The texture had also gone very strange, a bit claggy/gluey. Bleah. (I must have done something a bit creative with the soup when I first made it)

I got through as much as I could by judicious use of stock powder to mask the worst of the flavour but I just couldn't do the last bowlful without retching.

LOL - no thought of throwing it out immediately. Nope, it's food, it's still "good". This thread is so enlightening because one can see oneself in many of the posts.

A near miss: I replaced the battery on my car. I've done this at least five or six times before on various cars. Great, the car now starts. But now it keeps stalling every time I let off the gas. Did I do something wrong, or was the problem that caused me to replace the battery more serious than I thought?

I have little faith in Canadian Tire's ability to fix anything, but it's close and I can make it there despite the stalling. After a communication fiasco involving not being able to connect with them on the phone, I find out they couldn't figure it out, but suggested some useless things which I declined. I called a Subaru dealer and they told me what to do over the phone. I picked up the keys from Canadian Tire and fixed it in the parking lot in 15 minutes.

The real mistake here was not checking on line if there were any quirks to replacing a battery on this model of car. If I had then a lot less time would have been wasted. It didn't really cost me anything other than time though.

My wife keeps her eyes open for deals and found a nice little butcher shop that has a good price for the goat cheese we buy due to the boy's cow milk allergy. She picked up some ground beef too and made chili. The chili tasted odd and was full of chunks of bone or gristle. She went back to the butcher and realized that she had bought dog food. If the price seems too good to be true...

If we make stews or soups, we often make extra to freeze for lunches or dinners later on.

Tonight I had a leftover pumpkin soup that I found in the freezer and was looking forward to it because pumpkin soup usually freezes pretty well.

Unfortunately it was pretty gross which is an achievement for pumpkin soup. The texture had also gone very strange, a bit claggy/gluey. Bleah. (I must have done something a bit creative with the soup when I first made it)

I got through as much as I could by judicious use of stock powder to mask the worst of the flavour but I just couldn't do the last bowlful without retching. Unfortunately my response to food I don't like isn't just 'I don't like that food' - I retch and gag and it can put me off eating that particular food for a while. So I mixed it with some water and poured it on the compost.

:(

The last lot of pumpkin soup I froze separated into water and pumpkin pulp, which was a horrible new accomplishment.

I agree - it usually freezes really well!

I've had this happen with starchy soups lots of times. Just biz it up again (I use an immersion blender).

If we make stews or soups, we often make extra to freeze for lunches or dinners later on.

Tonight I had a leftover pumpkin soup that I found in the freezer and was looking forward to it because pumpkin soup usually freezes pretty well.

Unfortunately it was pretty gross which is an achievement for pumpkin soup. The texture had also gone very strange, a bit claggy/gluey. Bleah. (I must have done something a bit creative with the soup when I first made it)

I got through as much as I could by judicious use of stock powder to mask the worst of the flavour but I just couldn't do the last bowlful without retching. Unfortunately my response to food I don't like isn't just 'I don't like that food' - I retch and gag and it can put me off eating that particular food for a while. So I mixed it with some water and poured it on the compost.

:(

The last lot of pumpkin soup I froze separated into water and pumpkin pulp, which was a horrible new accomplishment.

I agree - it usually freezes really well!

I've had this happen with starchy soups lots of times. Just biz it up again (I use an immersion blender).

So do I when I'm at home. At work I had the high-tech options of spoon or fork available.

My wife keeps her eyes open for deals and found a nice little butcher shop that has a good price for the goat cheese we buy due to the boy's cow milk allergy. She picked up some ground beef too and made chili. The chili tasted odd and was full of chunks of bone or gristle. She went back to the butcher and realized that she had bought dog food. If the price seems too good to be true...

I'm not sure this quite fits the theme of the thread, but have to share...

I recently got a new expensive ergonomic mouse at work to replace my old expensive ergonomic mouse.

What happened to my old expensive ergonomic mouse? The left click button was starting to misbehave: releasing when I didn't want it to and double or triple clicking when I single-clicked. I did some digging online and the likely problem is that the switch under the button was going bad. There's a few helpful webpages explaining how it can be fixed. You have to take the mouse apart, open up the switch, remove a fiddly little metal piece, bend it, reinstall it, and then put everything back together.

I did contact our ergo specialist to see what the process was for getting a new mouse. But my due dates were far enough off that I felt comfortable taking some time to try to fix it myself. So I brought in a set of mini screwdrivers and started taking things apart. Only a couple of the fasteners came out easy. I don't know if they used some sort of glue, but it took 2-3 hours over 2 days to remove all the pieces to get to the switch. Opening the switch, removing the fiddly little metal piece, and bending it went pretty fast, but I tinkered with it for another 1-2 hours and never was able to get the little metal piece re-installed.

So I ended up having to order a new mouse.

If you add up the time, I spent 3-5 hours of on-the-clock time trying to fix the mouse. My gross salary for that time would have purchased two of these things. I don't know the exact wrap rate my employer charges its customers, but am guessing they technically started losing money 1/2 hour into this little side project. But at the same time, we were sort of in a lull, so that time wasn't necessarily going to be productive anyway.

I brought the mouse home and purchased a soldering iron and desoldering pump. My plan is to disassemble one of the spare mice I've picked up over the years and use a switch from that to replace the switch I was unable to put the fiddly little metal piece back into. But I've been procrastinating on it for a while now, so the soldering iron and desoldering pump could be considered a waste of money, and will continue to be until I follow through and try to make the repair.

Decided to save on potatoes. Instead of buying the amount I needed, I picked up a big bulk bag of them.

Was going to use them today, and all of them were soft and wrinkly. Boh.

How long ago did you buy them? If they haven't gone bad, you can peel them and stick them in ice water for a few hours, and they will plump back up (jr. high science experiment I actually remember -- and use!).

This batch was sadly already on the wrong side of the tracks. The wrinkles matched with a distinctive "we probally shouldnt eat that"-smell.

Good call. Or you could have been in the next iteration of this thread, detailing your hospital visit from trying to save 10 cents on a potato. ;-)

And revisiting Augustís discussion: last week DH was out of town, so I didnít really cook, so I didnít have leftovers to bring to the office. To avoid running out and grabbing a $12 salad, I scrounged for stuff I had brought in previously and found some Eggbeaters in the fridge that I had forgotten about. Lunch solved!

Later that afternoon, I didnít feel awesome, so I figured the eggbeaters must have gone off and emailed my assistant to ask her to pitch the rest of it. The next day, I get in and she is laughing at me: the expiration date on the carton was, well, right about the time we were discussing spoiled potatoes. Guess I got off light!

Okay, this story wasn't HORRIBLY executed but I was trying so hard to be a bad ass Mustachian I forgot to be a regular person:

The second hand on my bathroom clock was stuck. It was still "trying" to tick, so I googled Wikihow. I disassembled the clock. I took off the hands, even removed and opened the clock movement (and learned what that was). Nothing I could see. I googled another YouTube video and the very helpful watch repair woman said that, first of all, try a new battery because that is often the problem EVEN if the second hand is trying to move.

Yup. Just needed a new battery. But I was able to put the clock back together and it works! So I am both embarrassed AND proud. I usually don't ever try to "DIY" and am trying to grow some MMM stubble here.

I wasn't sure where to post this. I have far more shameful anti-mustachian moments, but sadly most of those were just me being lazy or hedonistic. Lots of ignorance too, though.

You made other MM's laugh with you, and you honed your DIY confidence. This was a win.

Bought an allegedly new pair of running shoes on ebay, at what I thought was a good price even after shipping costs (they're expensive in Canada).

Picked them up at the post office today. The shipper used DHL (gahhh) which resulted in a COD charge of over $46. $19 in duties, $17 in taxes, $10 in "fees" (I'd already paid the seller for shipping). Shipping in the listing led me to believe they'd be using USPS, which always arrives just fine with no extra charges.

To make matters worse, the shoes are most definitely not new - the soles are dirty and there's a rub A5-35-like aroma. Yuck.

No point in sending them back, since I am already out the $46. Shitshitshit. Anyway I wrote the seller and included pics of the time-stamped receipt, and the dirty soles. I wish I could've included a scratch-n-sniff pic as well.

Bought an allegedly new pair of running shoes on ebay, at what I thought was a good price even after shipping costs (they're expensive in Canada).

Picked them up at the post office today. The shipper used DHL (gahhh) which resulted in a COD charge of over $46. $19 in duties, $17 in taxes, $10 in "fees" (I'd already paid the seller for shipping). Shipping in the listing led me to believe they'd be using USPS, which always arrives just fine with no extra charges.

To make matters worse, the shoes are most definitely not new - the soles are dirty and there's a rub A5-35-like aroma. Yuck.

No point in sending them back, since I am already out the $46. Shitshitshit. Anyway I wrote the seller and included pics of the time-stamped receipt, and the dirty soles. I wish I could've included a scratch-n-sniff pic as well.

Bought an allegedly new pair of running shoes on ebay, at what I thought was a good price even after shipping costs (they're expensive in Canada).

Picked them up at the post office today. The shipper used DHL (gahhh) which resulted in a COD charge of over $46. $19 in duties, $17 in taxes, $10 in "fees" (I'd already paid the seller for shipping). Shipping in the listing led me to believe they'd be using USPS, which always arrives just fine with no extra charges.

To make matters worse, the shoes are most definitely not new - the soles are dirty and there's a rub A5-35-like aroma. Yuck.

No point in sending them back, since I am already out the $46. Shitshitshit. Anyway I wrote the seller and included pics of the time-stamped receipt, and the dirty soles. I wish I could've included a scratch-n-sniff pic as well.

Grrr.

I've been hit by that DHL thing... to the point where I nearly refused the item.

Bought an allegedly new pair of running shoes on ebay, at what I thought was a good price even after shipping costs (they're expensive in Canada).

Picked them up at the post office today. The shipper used DHL (gahhh) which resulted in a COD charge of over $46. $19 in duties, $17 in taxes, $10 in "fees" (I'd already paid the seller for shipping). Shipping in the listing led me to believe they'd be using USPS, which always arrives just fine with no extra charges.

To make matters worse, the shoes are most definitely not new - the soles are dirty and there's a rub A5-35-like aroma. Yuck.

No point in sending them back, since I am already out the $46. Shitshitshit. Anyway I wrote the seller and included pics of the time-stamped receipt, and the dirty soles. I wish I could've included a scratch-n-sniff pic as well.

Grrr.

So frustrating.

Sellers like that give eBay a bad name.

This happened to me on eBay - bought a ďnew without tagsĒ suit for work. It arrived covered in hairs and smelling of perfume. I just opened a case and got a full refund. Didnít even have to return it I donít think. And if it said shipping would be one thing and they did another, isnít that misselling? Iíd ask for a refund for the charges as well. They said one thing and did another (assuming it was explicit in the listing) so they are responsible. But maybe consumer protection laws are less strict over there? Seems like shops are more lenient though - Iíve heard of people returning opened makeup just because they donít like the colour and that would not fly here.

Bought an allegedly new pair of running shoes on ebay, at what I thought was a good price even after shipping costs (they're expensive in Canada).

Picked them up at the post office today. The shipper used DHL (gahhh) which resulted in a COD charge of over $46. $19 in duties, $17 in taxes, $10 in "fees" (I'd already paid the seller for shipping). Shipping in the listing led me to believe they'd be using USPS, which always arrives just fine with no extra charges.

To make matters worse, the shoes are most definitely not new - the soles are dirty and there's a rub A5-35-like aroma. Yuck.

No point in sending them back, since I am already out the $46. Shitshitshit. Anyway I wrote the seller and included pics of the time-stamped receipt, and the dirty soles. I wish I could've included a scratch-n-sniff pic as well.

Grrr.

So frustrating.

Sellers like that give eBay a bad name.

This happened to me on eBay - bought a ďnew without tagsĒ suit for work. It arrived covered in hairs and smelling of perfume. I just opened a case and got a full refund. Didnít even have to return it I donít think. And if it said shipping would be one thing and they did another, isnít that misselling? Iíd ask for a refund for the charges as well. They said one thing and did another (assuming it was explicit in the listing) so they are responsible. But maybe consumer protection laws are less strict over there? Seems like shops are more lenient though - Iíve heard of people returning opened makeup just because they donít like the colour and that would not fly here.

I do apologize that the shoes you received were not as you expected. Please note that we are an outlet warehouse selling overstock/liquidation items, some of which have been subject to many try-ons along with numerous shipping and handling before they reach us. Shoes can have scuffs and small signs of wear due to trying on multiple times in a retail environment.

As you may know, it is required by your local government to pay duties and taxes on items coming into the country that are valued at $20 CAN or more. Our shipping carrier pays these duties and taxes for you upfront. In return, Canada Post has to pay these Duties and taxes back to our shipping carrier (DHL). Canada Post then Charges you a $10 handling fee to collect these Duties and taxes, and returns the duties and taxes owed back to DHL.

Please let me know if I can assist you any further as your feedback matters. All of us here at BHFO appreciate your business.

Sincerely, ...---------------------------Apologies, but the description does NOT match the item I received, in terms of wear. The photos I sent you on the same day I received the item show that the wear is more than just in-store try-ons. You listed them with the following description/classification:

New without box: A brand-new, unused, and unworn item (including handmade items) that is not in original packaging or may be missing original packaging materials (such as the original box or bag). The original tags may not be attached. For example, new shoes (with absolutely no signs of wear) that are no longer in their original box fall into this category

How can you possibly claim that the shoes that I received show ABSOLUTELY NO SIGNS OF WEAR? I can attach the photos again if you need to see them. These shoes were clearly worn outside. They show dirt, creases, and they smell.

Check the feedback I leave for other sellers please. I am an honest purchaser and was expecting a new set of shoes.

Moreover, you didn't say anywhere in your description of the item that you use DHL for shipping.

Had I known this, I would NEVER have purchased these shoes. I avoid DHL like the plague.

Please check the feedback I've left for other sellers. I've been on ebay since 1999 and have never had a purchase go so very wrong.

----------------------------

Thanks for letting me vent. I am about as pissed off about this as I ever get.

Bought an allegedly new pair of running shoes on ebay, at what I thought was a good price even after shipping costs (they're expensive in Canada).

Picked them up at the post office today. The shipper used DHL (gahhh) which resulted in a COD charge of over $46. $19 in duties, $17 in taxes, $10 in "fees" (I'd already paid the seller for shipping). Shipping in the listing led me to believe they'd be using USPS, which always arrives just fine with no extra charges.

To make matters worse, the shoes are most definitely not new - the soles are dirty and there's a rub A5-35-like aroma. Yuck.

No point in sending them back, since I am already out the $46. Shitshitshit. Anyway I wrote the seller and included pics of the time-stamped receipt, and the dirty soles. I wish I could've included a scratch-n-sniff pic as well.

Grrr.

So frustrating.

Sellers like that give eBay a bad name.

This happened to me on eBay - bought a ďnew without tagsĒ suit for work. It arrived covered in hairs and smelling of perfume. I just opened a case and got a full refund. Didnít even have to return it I donít think. And if it said shipping would be one thing and they did another, isnít that misselling? Iíd ask for a refund for the charges as well. They said one thing and did another (assuming it was explicit in the listing) so they are responsible. But maybe consumer protection laws are less strict over there? Seems like shops are more lenient though - Iíve heard of people returning opened makeup just because they donít like the colour and that would not fly here.

I do apologize that the shoes you received were not as you expected. Please note that we are an outlet warehouse selling overstock/liquidation items, some of which have been subject to many try-ons along with numerous shipping and handling before they reach us. Shoes can have scuffs and small signs of wear due to trying on multiple times in a retail environment.

As you may know, it is required by your local government to pay duties and taxes on items coming into the country that are valued at $20 CAN or more. Our shipping carrier pays these duties and taxes for you upfront. In return, Canada Post has to pay these Duties and taxes back to our shipping carrier (DHL). Canada Post then Charges you a $10 handling fee to collect these Duties and taxes, and returns the duties and taxes owed back to DHL.

Please let me know if I can assist you any further as your feedback matters. All of us here at BHFO appreciate your business.

Sincerely, ...---------------------------Apologies, but the description does NOT match the item I received, in terms of wear. The photos I sent you on the same day I received the item show that the wear is more than just in-store try-ons. You listed them with the following description/classification:

New without box: A brand-new, unused, and unworn item (including handmade items) that is not in original packaging or may be missing original packaging materials (such as the original box or bag). The original tags may not be attached. For example, new shoes (with absolutely no signs of wear) that are no longer in their original box fall into this category

How can you possibly claim that the shoes that I received show ABSOLUTELY NO SIGNS OF WEAR? I can attach the photos again if you need to see them. These shoes were clearly worn outside. They show dirt, creases, and they smell.

Check the feedback I leave for other sellers please. I am an honest purchaser and was expecting a new set of shoes.

Moreover, you didn't say anywhere in your description of the item that you use DHL for shipping.

Had I known this, I would NEVER have purchased these shoes. I avoid DHL like the plague.

Please check the feedback I've left for other sellers. I've been on ebay since 1999 and have never had a purchase go so very wrong.

----------------------------

Thanks for letting me vent. I am about as pissed off about this as I ever get.

I didn't pay for those shoes, and that response still makes me steam.

I think the seller might be right about the shoes only being worn in a (very dirty) warehouse, but that's irrelevant. They didn't write that the shoes show no signs of wear from a customer that bought them.

This is answer is like you telling them that yes, I bought your shoes for ß100, but as you may know, Christmas is coming. Apart from your shoes, I have to pay for gifts and food for my family. Therefore the actual amount I pay you will be ß60. Please let me know if you have any other questions I can give deflective and meaningless answers to.

Decided to save on potatoes. Instead of buying the amount I needed, I picked up a big bulk bag of them.

Was going to use them today, and all of them were soft and wrinkly. Boh.

How long ago did you buy them? If they haven't gone bad, you can peel them and stick them in ice water for a few hours, and they will plump back up (jr. high science experiment I actually remember -- and use!).

This batch was sadly already on the wrong side of the tracks. The wrinkles matched with a distinctive "we probally shouldnt eat that"-smell.

Good call. Or you could have been in the next iteration of this thread, detailing your hospital visit from trying to save 10 cents on a potato. ;-)

And revisiting Augustís discussion: last week DH was out of town, so I didnít really cook, so I didnít have leftovers to bring to the office. To avoid running out and grabbing a $12 salad, I scrounged for stuff I had brought in previously and found some Eggbeaters in the fridge that I had forgotten about. Lunch solved!

Later that afternoon, I didnít feel awesome, so I figured the eggbeaters must have gone off and emailed my assistant to ask her to pitch the rest of it. The next day, I get in and she is laughing at me: the expiration date on the carton was, well, right about the time we were discussing spoiled potatoes. Guess I got off light!

Lol at potatoes.

Not long ago my husband decided to try a diet where he would eat almost nothing but potatoes. This included a single steamed potato for lunch. Obviously this was far from sustainable but we made it through the big bag of spuds.

Weeks later we're on our way through security to catch a flight. DH never cleans out his backpack, so it's full of pens, old gum, ibuprofen, scrap paper from work, broken headphones, etc. There's so much junk that it's no surprise when his bag gets pulled out of the x-ray line for a manual search. A quick search later, we get the greenlight and move on.

We get to our gate and DH decides to pull out a book. As he digs in, he finds not one, not two, but three raw potatoes he had shoved in his bag and forgotten about. I like to think the x-ray tech was staring at the screen trying to figure out what the fuck those things are. Then the guy who searched the bag must have had the thought "Well I guess there's no rule saying you can't carry on potatoes."

So we flew to the wedding with potatoes. At least we found them before they started to shrivel.

A few years ago my company bought automatic dispensers that made terrible coffee for just .25 $, and the first week it was completely free. The whole office went apeshit, everybody was drinking 5+ coffees per day. The thing is, the only mugs available were styrofoam cups, and everybody was making heaps of garbage.I went to HR to bring up the issue, and they said they couldn't not provide the cups (bullshit, people will bring their own mugs on day 2 or 3) but they'd look into providing reusable mugs. I suggested a trip to the thrift store and buying a bunch for .50 $ each, but my solution was dismissed with no real reason.After a few weeks HR calls me in their office, to proudly show me the solution they found: they ordered cheap plastic travel mugs with the company logo, and gave one to each permanent employť. WITHOUT stopping to provide the styrofoam disponsable ones.People used the travel mugs a couple of times, but pretty much stopped when they were too dirty, they didn't bother washing them. It made me so angry!Anyway, in all this at some point I went to the thrift store myself and bought a few dozens, all different, and lots of people actually "adopted" them as their own office mugs, thus stopping to use styrofoam or plastic ones altogether. I don't cake I spent my own dollars on them, I just could't ignore those heaps of garbage and do nothing about it. A few times I even stayed a bit longer in the office to collect the dirty ceramic mugs from under the desks, wash them and made them available again for my workmates.

A few years ago my company bought automatic dispensers that made terrible coffee for just .25 $, and the first week it was completely free. The whole office went apeshit, everybody was drinking 5+ coffees per day. The thing is, the only mugs available were styrofoam cups, and everybody was making heaps of garbage.I went to HR to bring up the issue, and they said they couldn't not provide the cups (bullshit, people will bring their own mugs on day 2 or 3) but they'd look into providing reusable mugs. I suggested a trip to the thrift store and buying a bunch for .50 $ each, but my solution was dismissed with no real reason.After a few weeks HR calls me in their office, to proudly show me the solution they found: they ordered cheap plastic travel mugs with the company logo, and gave one to each permanent employť. WITHOUT stopping to provide the styrofoam disponsable ones.People used the travel mugs a couple of times, but pretty much stopped when they were too dirty, they didn't bother washing them. It made me so angry!Anyway, in all this at some point I went to the thrift store myself and bought a few dozens, all different, and lots of people actually "adopted" them as their own office mugs, thus stopping to use styrofoam or plastic ones altogether. I don't cake I spent my own dollars on them, I just could't ignore those heaps of garbage and do nothing about it. A few times I even stayed a bit longer in the office to collect the dirty ceramic mugs from under the desks, wash them and made them available again for my workmates.

Awesome. Sometimes the best way is to lead by example.

I used to do the same with cutlery in the kitchen at old work. I would pay a dollar for a bag full of mixed cutlery from an op shop, run it through my dishwasher twice, then deposit it in the work kitchen.

After about six months it would all disappear (do people eat spoons?) and I'd do it all over again.

A few years ago my company bought automatic dispensers that made terrible coffee for just .25 $, and the first week it was completely free. The whole office went apeshit, everybody was drinking 5+ coffees per day. The thing is, the only mugs available were styrofoam cups, and everybody was making heaps of garbage.I went to HR to bring up the issue, and they said they couldn't not provide the cups (bullshit, people will bring their own mugs on day 2 or 3) but they'd look into providing reusable mugs. I suggested a trip to the thrift store and buying a bunch for .50 $ each, but my solution was dismissed with no real reason.After a few weeks HR calls me in their office, to proudly show me the solution they found: they ordered cheap plastic travel mugs with the company logo, and gave one to each permanent employť. WITHOUT stopping to provide the styrofoam disponsable ones.People used the travel mugs a couple of times, but pretty much stopped when they were too dirty, they didn't bother washing them. It made me so angry!Anyway, in all this at some point I went to the thrift store myself and bought a few dozens, all different, and lots of people actually "adopted" them as their own office mugs, thus stopping to use styrofoam or plastic ones altogether. I don't cake I spent my own dollars on them, I just could't ignore those heaps of garbage and do nothing about it. A few times I even stayed a bit longer in the office to collect the dirty ceramic mugs from under the desks, wash them and made them available again for my workmates.

Awesome. Sometimes the best way is to lead by example.

I used to do the same with cutlery in the kitchen at old work. I would pay a dollar for a bag full of mixed cutlery from an op shop, run it through my dishwasher twice, then deposit it in the work kitchen.

After about six months it would all disappear (do people eat spoons?) and I'd do it all over again.

People don't eat spoons, but some individuals are convinced that everything is (or ought to be) disposable, so they throw metal cutlery away in the garbage without thinking about it.

Not long ago my husband decided to try a diet where he would eat almost nothing but potatoes. This included a single steamed potato for lunch. Obviously this was far from sustainable but we made it through the big bag of spuds.

Weeks later we're on our way through security to catch a flight. DH never cleans out his backpack, so it's full of pens, old gum, ibuprofen, scrap paper from work, broken headphones, etc. There's so much junk that it's no surprise when his bag gets pulled out of the x-ray line for a manual search. A quick search later, we get the greenlight and move on.

We get to our gate and DH decides to pull out a book. As he digs in, he finds not one, not two, but three raw potatoes he had shoved in his bag and forgotten about. I like to think the x-ray tech was staring at the screen trying to figure out what the fuck those things are. Then the guy who searched the bag must have had the thought "Well I guess there's no rule saying you can't carry on potatoes."

So we flew to the wedding with potatoes. At least we found them before they started to shrivel.

A few years ago I had an afternoon flight, so I was out puttering in the garden, then headed to the airport and through security. After I got to my gate, reached in the breast pocket of my shirt and discovered a full head of garlic. It would have been amusing if that had been discovered in a pat-down!

My dad swears no recollection of this, but he used to bake potatoes and just take them along to the beach or wherever, and eat them cold like Nature's Power Bar. Skin and all.

Bought an allegedly new pair of running shoes on ebay, at what I thought was a good price even after shipping costs (they're expensive in Canada).

Picked them up at the post office today. The shipper used DHL (gahhh) which resulted in a COD charge of over $46. $19 in duties, $17 in taxes, $10 in "fees" (I'd already paid the seller for shipping). Shipping in the listing led me to believe they'd be using USPS, which always arrives just fine with no extra charges.

To make matters worse, the shoes are most definitely not new - the soles are dirty and there's a rub A5-35-like aroma. Yuck.

No point in sending them back, since I am already out the $46. Shitshitshit. Anyway I wrote the seller and included pics of the time-stamped receipt, and the dirty soles. I wish I could've included a scratch-n-sniff pic as well.

Grrr.

OK, this totally sucks for you. But... when you received the shoes you agreed to pay an additional $46? For me this would definitely be a "return to sender" kind of deal. VERY generally speaking, if you refuse delivery you can get your money back, or at least not lose more money

A few years ago my company bought automatic dispensers that made terrible coffee for just .25 $, and the first week it was completely free. The whole office went apeshit, everybody was drinking 5+ coffees per day. The thing is, the only mugs available were styrofoam cups, and everybody was making heaps of garbage.I went to HR to bring up the issue, and they said they couldn't not provide the cups (bullshit, people will bring their own mugs on day 2 or 3) but they'd look into providing reusable mugs. I suggested a trip to the thrift store and buying a bunch for .50 $ each, but my solution was dismissed with no real reason.After a few weeks HR calls me in their office, to proudly show me the solution they found: they ordered cheap plastic travel mugs with the company logo, and gave one to each permanent employť. WITHOUT stopping to provide the styrofoam disponsable ones.People used the travel mugs a couple of times, but pretty much stopped when they were too dirty, they didn't bother washing them. It made me so angry!Anyway, in all this at some point I went to the thrift store myself and bought a few dozens, all different, and lots of people actually "adopted" them as their own office mugs, thus stopping to use styrofoam or plastic ones altogether. I don't cake I spent my own dollars on them, I just could't ignore those heaps of garbage and do nothing about it. A few times I even stayed a bit longer in the office to collect the dirty ceramic mugs from under the desks, wash them and made them available again for my workmates.

Awesome. Sometimes the best way is to lead by example.

I used to do the same with cutlery in the kitchen at old work. I would pay a dollar for a bag full of mixed cutlery from an op shop, run it through my dishwasher twice, then deposit it in the work kitchen.

After about six months it would all disappear (do people eat spoons?) and I'd do it all over again.

People don't eat spoons, but some individuals are convinced that everything is (or ought to be) disposable, so they throw metal cutlery away in the garbage without thinking about it.

The other trick is that an office of 60 people, with a drawer of 20 spoons... it only takes a few left in the desk drawer, a few taken home with the free lunch leftovers or for that yogurt on the drive home..., and a couple migrated to another floor, for them all to disappear.

A few years ago my company bought automatic dispensers that made terrible coffee for just .25 $, and the first week it was completely free. The whole office went apeshit, everybody was drinking 5+ coffees per day. The thing is, the only mugs available were styrofoam cups, and everybody was making heaps of garbage.I went to HR to bring up the issue, and they said they couldn't not provide the cups (bullshit, people will bring their own mugs on day 2 or 3) but they'd look into providing reusable mugs. I suggested a trip to the thrift store and buying a bunch for .50 $ each, but my solution was dismissed with no real reason.After a few weeks HR calls me in their office, to proudly show me the solution they found: they ordered cheap plastic travel mugs with the company logo, and gave one to each permanent employť. WITHOUT stopping to provide the styrofoam disponsable ones.People used the travel mugs a couple of times, but pretty much stopped when they were too dirty, they didn't bother washing them. It made me so angry!Anyway, in all this at some point I went to the thrift store myself and bought a few dozens, all different, and lots of people actually "adopted" them as their own office mugs, thus stopping to use styrofoam or plastic ones altogether. I don't cake I spent my own dollars on them, I just could't ignore those heaps of garbage and do nothing about it. A few times I even stayed a bit longer in the office to collect the dirty ceramic mugs from under the desks, wash them and made them available again for my workmates.

So what you're saying is that your company executed their strategy brilliantly? They "fixed" the problem so poorly that they now have (i) ceramic mugs, and (ii) housekeeping services, (iii) neither of which they have to pay for.

A few years ago my company bought automatic dispensers that made terrible coffee for just .25 $, and the first week it was completely free. The whole office went apeshit, everybody was drinking 5+ coffees per day. The thing is, the only mugs available were styrofoam cups, and everybody was making heaps of garbage.I went to HR to bring up the issue, and they said they couldn't not provide the cups (bullshit, people will bring their own mugs on day 2 or 3) but they'd look into providing reusable mugs. I suggested a trip to the thrift store and buying a bunch for .50 $ each, but my solution was dismissed with no real reason.After a few weeks HR calls me in their office, to proudly show me the solution they found: they ordered cheap plastic travel mugs with the company logo, and gave one to each permanent employť. WITHOUT stopping to provide the styrofoam disponsable ones.People used the travel mugs a couple of times, but pretty much stopped when they were too dirty, they didn't bother washing them. It made me so angry!Anyway, in all this at some point I went to the thrift store myself and bought a few dozens, all different, and lots of people actually "adopted" them as their own office mugs, thus stopping to use styrofoam or plastic ones altogether. I don't cake I spent my own dollars on them, I just could't ignore those heaps of garbage and do nothing about it. A few times I even stayed a bit longer in the office to collect the dirty ceramic mugs from under the desks, wash them and made them available again for my workmates.

So what you're saying is that your company executed their strategy brilliantly? They "fixed" the problem so poorly that they now have (i) ceramic mugs, and (ii) housekeeping services, (iii) neither of which they have to pay for.

When I worked I used to buy silverware at garage sales and bring them to work. Then I noticed people throwing stuff away instead of washing it so I quit. Then I just brought stuff for me and kept it in my office.

When I worked I used to buy silverware at garage sales and bring them to work. Then I noticed people throwing stuff away instead of washing it so I quit. Then I just brought stuff for me and kept it in my office.

When I worked I used to buy silverware at garage sales and bring them to work. Then I noticed people throwing stuff away instead of washing it so I quit. Then I just brought stuff for me and kept it in my office.

I knew that the US is a country of savages, but ... WTF

There's an entire subculture of people who genuinely don't care about anything except getting their immediate needs met. Whether someone else's belongings end up in a landfill isn't a blip on their radar screen. These are people who show up to your house when it's not a mealtime demanding to be fed, expect to get the food "to go", and expect to take the plate, the utensils, the glass, and everything else with them because something else so much more important is occurring. They will not eat at a table and frequently migrate to other rooms in the house, spilling drinks and dribbling crumbs as they go, and they will not clean up the spills or messes they make because they prefer for them to be ground into the flooring. They treat their own homes and apartments the same way, which is why their belongings are generally stained and smell like spoiled milk.

If you see someone tossing cutlery or plates into the trash and they aren't disposable items, NEVER invite them to your home, never go to visit theirs, and definitely don't accept an offer of shared food.

I have a six-year-old smartphone. I use it for receiving phone calls in emergencies, plus my banking app. I needed to upgrade the operating system to load a second app. During that process I deleted the first app. Called the bank. Banking app is outdated, and no longer offered by the bank. Try our new 'upgraded' app!

New 'upgraded' bank app doesn't work on upgraded operating system. Old app is nowhere to be found on the Internet. Six-year-old phone does not support latest (or even near-latest) operating system. I start to investigate custom software, and spend a weekend learning about the fine world of Android, Samsung, custom recovery, custom ROM, Odin and other open-source software. Phone flashes garish warnings about voiding my warranty. I decide no warranty on earth lasts six years, and start messing around anyway.

At this point, I have a phone that makes and receives calls and texts, and NOTHING ELSE. I have deleted both apps and all of my previous contacts. I have successfully re-dumbed my smartphone.